December 29, 2017

December 29, 2017

Homes at higher elevations in Miami are gaining value at a faster clip than those closer to sea level. It’s an accelerating trend, and it has residents and real estate agents — in Miami and other coastal communities — asking whether “climate gentrification” has arrived.

The term, which only recently entered the lexicon, describes the role of climate change in recalibrating land values, a phenomenon that ultimately could displace low-income and minority residents in a similar fashion as urban gentrification. As sea levels rise and flooding persists, the thinking goes in the case of Miami, waterfront property will lose some of its luster and higher-situated neighborhoods like Little Haiti and Little Havana will become more attractive.

The professor who was first to publish research using the phrase “climate gentrification” isn’t convinced that’s the main culprit in Miami. At least not yet. Jesse M. Keenan, a researcher on urban development and climate adaptation at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, tracked the rate of price appreciation since 1971 for more than 250,000 residential properties in Miami-Dade County, and compared those figures to elevation. Keenan found that properties at high elevations have long appreciated faster in Miami, mostly because of nonclimate factors.

However, since 2000, the correlation between elevation and price appreciation has grown stronger, which Keenan, in an interview with CBS MoneyWatch, suggested may be “early signaling” of preference for properties at higher elevations and a reaction to persistent nuisance flooding in lower areas.

December 29, 2017

One question I hear a lot is “why should we send a scientist to Congress since you don’t know anything about making laws?” Our soundbite century shows its flaws here for 2 reasons. 1) scientists would kick ass at making laws, and 2) I’m much more than “just a scientist.

All scientists are by definition trained in the scientific method. It’s the process of using data gained through observations to remove uncertainties around a hypothesis in an effort to ascertain the truth. In other words, we use facts to understand our world.

In addition, field scientists like me are not white-coated lab dwellers (although I do love lab work & my lab-based friends). My work is done in the most extreme, dangerous conditions on the planet. Literally. Active volcanoes, remote mountains, scorching deserts, etc.

I lead expeditions of people who’ve never even camped before. It’s my job to keep them safe & do good science. Creative problem solving is the key to field research. I’ve fixed a blown tire sidewall with bubblegum, a ball point pen, and duct tape. Other scientists have too.

Scientists are adaptable, creative, and logical. We are trained to look at all available facts to work towards eliminating uncertainties. It’s our job, & it’s the job of a field scientist to find information that will save lives. Sounds like a good skillset for Congress to me.

Now to my 2nd point: my background. My life didn’t start when I went into geology 10 years ago, at the age of 25. Since I started at my first job (minimum wage retail at Best Buy) 18 years ago, I have worked in an array of jobs. Our economy doesn’t allow one career now.

December 28, 2017

The comment I dislike the most is when people talk about cold weather and people type “So much for global warming…” Not really a joke to me. Also, it proves someone doesn’t have the understanding of the definition of weather vs climate. You’ll see people type that a lot in the next week or two on professional meteorologists’ social media pages.

What we are seeing right now in the United States is just,………well……wait for it……”winter”…..Even as climate warms, we will always have winter (cold weather, snowstorms, blizzards). Winter is related to how the Earth is tilted on its axis as it moves around the Sun. In a previous Forbes piece, I described how the axial tilt of our planet determines our seasons.